Lessons from the Elephant, What Do You See?

One day, six blind men decided to go to the zoo. They hired a guide to tell them about all the exotic animals they couldn't see. When they came to the elephants, the zoo keeper wanted them to have more than a verbal description, so he allowed them each to feel the elephant.



Since the elephant was large, and since the zoo keeper had limited time, he let each man touch one part of the giant mammal.


The first blind man reached out and his hand grabbed the elephant's tail. "Aha," he exclaimed, "the elephant is like a big rope."


The next man felt a massive elephant leg. He looked strange, no rope was that big. "No, the elephant is like a large log or tree." He was sure of this.


The third blind man walked forward and ran straight into the elephant's side, whereupon he pronounced that, "The elephant is really a big wall."


Next, another of the blind men reached out and took hold of one of the elephant's ears. It must have tickled, because the elephant wiggled the large ear, causing the fourth man to exclaim, "Oh, see this, the elephant is like a big fan."


The fifth blind man decided that the first four were all slightly daft and they couldn't be describing the same creature, so he carefully walked up and put out his hand, the elephant raised his trunk to the man who felt it and grinned in wonder. "My friends, it is obvious the elephant is like a huge snake."


The final man was totally confused, he walked forward and reached out, hoping to find the truth, and encountered a tusk. He paused and brightened, "I understand, the true nature of the elephant is this, he is a sword."


The zoo keeper and guide smiled at one another, knowing that none had seen the big, elephantine, picture.


How often are we guilty of the same thing? There are times when terrible things come our way during the course of our lives. When this happens, we tend to only look at what we can see. However, there is far more to the picture than we can see..


As the Psalmist teaches us we need to get our eyes off of our circumstances and place them squarely upon the Lord. You see, like those 6 blind men, where a person stands determines what that person sees. Put your trust in God for He alone knows the whole truth.






Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.


- Psalm 143:8 (New International Version)






Dear Lord we pray that we will trust in You and You alone. Help us not make our choices based on where we stand. In Jesus’ name, Amen.